Chandrayaan 4 Mission: After the success of Chandrayaan-3, the Indian Space Organization (ISRO) is gearing up for the next launch of Lunar mission called Chandrayaan 4/LUPEX.
As India has already soft landed its lander and rover on moon’s south pole, now further target of Chandrayaan-4/LUPEX is expected to bring rock and soil samples from the moon surface to Earth for various explorations.
What is LUPEX and it’s full form
LUPEX stands for Lunar Polar Exploration Mission. It is also referred to as ISRO’s Lunar Sample Return Mission (LSRM). As ISRO is planning to further explore the surface of moon on the South pole first the first time, the name carries LUPEX for Chandrayaan 4. Earlier missions were focused on landing moon’s surface and as soft landing on moon’s south pole which was already done as part of third mission, now LUPEX would be a step ahead exploration for ISRO.
About Chandrayaan 4
As we all knew the lander of Chandrayaan-3 landed on the South Pole of the Moon at about 70 degrees south latitude. Chandrayaan-4/Lupex will land the lander at 90 degree south latitude.
- Chandrayaan 4 consists of a rover weighing 350 kg (As against Chandrayaan-3 Rover which weighs 30 kg).
- It orbits the moon for a kilometer.
- Chandrayaan-4 has a mission life of 100 days, while Chandrayaan-3 operated for 14 days.
- Chandrayaan 4’s rover’s instruments will collect rocks and soil samples on the moon and bring them back to Earth.
- Chandrayaan 4 will have two carriers for this project.
When will ISRO launch Chandrayaan 4
As mentioned by the Director of ISRO’s Space Application Center, Neelesh M Desai, It will take another five to ten years to complete this project. He also mentioned that ISRO is working with the Japan Space Agency for this crucial mission.
So reportedly we can expect Chandrayaan-4 to be launched somewhere between 2028 to 2033 as we have other critical projects in progress at ISRO which includes prestigious Gaganyaan.
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